Dryffield Early Origins

The surname Dryffield was first found in Gloucestershire, in the parish of Driffield or in either Great Driffield or Little Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Collectively all of the parishes date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 but with older spellings: Drifelle, Gloucestershire; and Drifield, Yorkshire. Each had essentially the same meaning: "open land characterized by dirt, or by stubble," from the Old English words "drit" or "drif" + "feld." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Driffield which was held by Reinbald the Priest, a Norman under-tenant, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Being a priest didn't preclude offspring at that time.

Dryffield Spelling Variations

Dryffield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Driffield, Drifield, Dryfield, Dryffield and many more.

Dryffield Early History

Dryffield Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dryffield research. Another 206 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1218 and 1218 are included under the topic Early Dryffield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dryffield Early Notables (pre 1700)

Dryffield Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Dryffield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dryffield In Ireland

Dryffield In Ireland

Some of the Dryffield family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Driffill, who settled in South Carolina in 1797; Thos. J. Driffill, who settled in New Orleans in 1851; Louisa Driffill, who arrived in New Orleans in 1851.

The Dryffield Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Dryffield Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.